From the major writers? Not so many. My preference is for military SF and I don't see many new ones around. On the other hand, just the Star Wars and Star Trek books would fill half the shop by themselves. Plus a lot of writers think that any SF novel must have a few spaceships zooming around. Some, like "Ancilliary Justice" have very little real military action but just looks like they might.
Space traveling adventure is okay. I would love to read some books that focus on characters exploring planets instead of fighting evil empires or alien invaders. Of course Star Trek is the big thing, but I am not a Trekkie. Instead of space, how about other types of dimensions, like the ocean, underground, or microscopic universes? As a kid, I used to watch Sea Quest, and that series was interesting. Writers seemed to like outer space more than other space dimensions.
You must be young. When I was a kid, it was "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea." Outer space is still the greatest vista of freedom, but for one to know that freedom, one has to have a ship of their own to experience it. Captain Jack Sparrow, Han Solo, etc. To not have to answer to an idiot bureaucracy is more than we can hope for. Let others lay the ground. My MC will traipse over it, shake hands, tip a hat and move on.
49. So late in life to start working toward something of personal desire, but I'm not dead yet, so there is hope.
"Have you read : - Isaac Asimov's "Fantastic Voyage" - voyage inside a human body - Hal Clement's "Mission of Gravity" - trading with centipede-like aliens on a high gravity planet - James White's "Sector General" series - a giant space hospital with doctors and staff from many planets - David Drake's "Redliners" - using soldiers burned out from war to explore new planets - Alan Dean Foster's "Humanx Commonwealth" series about the formation of an alliance between humans and giant insects called the Thranx, starting with "Phylogenesis" - Edmund Cooper's "Seahorse in the Sky" - another world exploring story - A.E. Van Vogt's "Voyage of the Space Beagle" (1951) - Star Trek before Star Trek - Andre Norton's "Star Gate" - a young man searching for his destiny on an alien world - Larry Niven's "Dream Park" series. Adventures in the world's most advanced simulation park. Like a giant Star Trek Holodeck. - Larry Niven's "Ringworld" - exploring an artificial alien world. - James P Hogan's "Code of the Lifemaker". Machines who have developed life on Titan. - Poul Anderson's - "Satan's World". Space traders. - Christopher Stashef's "Warlock" series. Rod Gallowglass, agent of DDT (Decentralized Democratic Tribunal) fights to protect the precious psychics on the planet of Gramarye, the people of whom have chosen to live a medieval life but persecute "witches". - Martin Caidin's "Aquarius Mission". Super submarine explores the deepest parts of the ocean. Hope you find something you enjoy
I love the future depictions of militaries would work but anything centered around a soldier protagonist tends to bore me. They're usually the one or two dimensional "ooh-rah" type.
